Healing Oneself

I did a henna tattoo once before when celebrating my freedom when I got my divorce and just did one the other day to celebrate 'healing'. While my own are nowhere near what they should be, I do like them and what they represent to me.

The pictures are not the best since I had just taken them off and gotten out of the shower but was feeling excited so took a couple of picture but not from the best angles. I also did them so they would fade quickly since the lady I work for might not like them and I have a few weeks free so thought it was a good time to do them. One day I would love to go to an artist and get some beautiful ones but this is my version of them and this one site shows the true beauty of them. Here is a site to glance through and learn about henna tattoos and see the gorgeous designs: Henna Artisans

For the idea of healing we took a sort of stylized version of a 'medicine wheel' on my hands showing healing energy. There is that sort of doctor symbol but in a more 'healer' idea so not quite a copy of anything but bits and pieces to make up an idea of healing. There are rays showing the healing energy and lines on the sides of my hands showing thoughts and actions (writing) that heal. On my arm it shows a kind of 'rising sun' idea where healing energy is glowing. Across my back we did a sort of nature theme and it is kind of hard to tell but it is a flower and vines image.
Healing henna tattoos

And on my feet we tried to decide what to do and finally decided on a stylized dragon for that kind of 'friend who walks with dragons' idea. It got a bit smeared when I forgot about them and accidentally smudged it a whole lot! But the idea is still there, mostly.

Walking with dragons

They will fade within a week or so because I did not keep them on for very long. Real ones look much better and I hope you can look through and see some. Some day I would love to find someone who does them and have the experience of a sort of Mehendi celebration with friends and my daughters.

And a warning that should be more widespread since many people want this but in black so be careful and read the ingredients. This is from the site mentioned earlier:

Black Mehendi - Warning!
All products claiming to be "Black Henna" have other ingredients than henna added in them. A chemical dye called Phenylenediamine, referred to as PPD, is often used to create a fast-taking, jetblack result. This is a very dangerous toxin and unfortunately is very harmful on skin, often causing a so-called chemical burn. This is much like a strong allergic reaction, many people get it and many don't, but I advice you not to take the risk. Please stay away from these products and stick to pure henna. Henna simply doesn't penetrate far enough into healthy, adult unbroken skin to cause problems. Allergic reactions to henna are very rare, it is safe to use and the result is beautiful.

So, the idea of what is healing for you can be symbolized by many things depending on your personal ideas and views about things. Some may want things more like a new haircut which I have done myself but am now trying to grow it out to see how long I can get it and still stay manageable. A new haircut can really change your feelings since other people notice it right off too. Another popular one is buying a new outfit, something you would not normally buy to treat yourself. You can see the pink straps of my 'lady pirate' top that makes me feel powerful and gorgeous so the power f a new outfit is another good way to show your healing yourself.

I believe we all need to try to do this every so often where we can free ourselves a bit more from our past and take on the future full of hope and positive energy. What kinds of things do you do, I would love to hear!

Maria